Softwr

Automation Integration · head to head

Temporal vs Windmill

Temporal logo

Temporal

Automation Integration

Durable execution platform for fault-tolerant workflows.

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Windmill logo

Windmill

Automation Integration

Open-source developer platform for building scripts, workflows, and internal apps

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Temporal cloud pricing scales with action volume, with per-million overage fees ($50 per million initially); Windmill free self-hosted tier caps SSO users at 10 and workspaces at 3, requiring Enterprise for larger teams.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Temporal and Windmill actually diverge.

Attributes where Temporal and Windmill differ
AttributeTemporalWindmill
Pricing modelfreemiumopen-source
PlatformsWeb, API, Self-hostedweb, api, linux, windows, mac

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Automation Integration).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Temporal

Nothing recorded that Windmill does not also cover.

Only in Windmill

  • Script-to-workflow engine
  • Auto-generated UIs
  • Self-hosted deployment
  • Git sync
  • SSO support
  • Audit logs

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Temporal

  • AI pipeline orchestration and long-running AI workflowsnot Windmill
  • Distributed system workflows requiring state durabilitynot Windmill
  • Complex backend processes with retry requirementsnot Windmill
  • High-volume asynchronous task executionnot Windmill
  • Microservices coordination with guaranteed state consistencynot Windmill

Windmill

  • Turning ad-hoc scripts into scheduled jobs and APIsnot Temporal
  • Building internal tools from existing Python/TypeScript codenot Temporal
  • Self-hosted automation for engineering teamsnot Temporal
  • Orchestrating multi-language workflowsnot Temporal

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Temporal

  • Cloud pricing scales with action volume, with per-million overage fees ($50 per million initially)
  • Enterprise customers incur additional storage costs beyond base allocations
  • Self-hosted deployments require operational expertise to deploy and maintain the Temporal Service
  • No native workflow UI builder; workflows must be defined in code
  • Free tier limited to self-hosted option only; no free cloud tier

Windmill

  • Free self-hosted tier caps SSO users at 10 and workspaces at 3, requiring Enterprise for larger teams.
  • Compute unit and seat-based pricing (developer vs. operator seats, worker compute units) adds pricing complexity beyond a flat monthly fee.
  • Email triggers are capped at 100/day on the free tier, limiting event-driven use cases without upgrading.
  • Smaller ecosystem of pre-built integrations compared to more established automation tools like n8n.

Pricing, plan by plan

Temporal

Free
  • Open-sourceFree
    • Self-hosted deployment
    • Full platform functionality
    • Community support
  • Essentials$100/month
    • 1 million actions monthly
    • 1 GB active storage
    • 40 GB retained storage
  • Business$500/month
    • 2.5 million actions monthly
    • 2.5 GB active storage
    • 100 GB retained storage
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • 10 million actions monthly
    • 10 GB active storage
    • 400 GB retained storage

Windmill

Free
  • Free / Open-sourceFree
    • Unlimited executions
    • Self-hosted deployment
    • Max 10 users with SSO
  • Enterprise$120/month
    • Unlimited executions and workspaces
    • Uncapped SSO seats
    • 24/7 priority support (3-hour response)

Which should you pick?

Choose Temporal if

  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API, Self-hosted.
Temporal review

Choose Windmill if

  • You need script-to-workflow engine.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api, linux, windows, mac.
  • You also want auto-generated uis.
Windmill review

Questions people ask

Is Temporal or Windmill better?
Neither clearly leads. Temporal starts at Free and Windmill at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Temporal or Windmill?
Temporal starts at Free and Windmill at Free.
Does Temporal or Windmill run on more platforms?
Temporal runs on Web, API, Self-hosted. Windmill runs on web, api, linux, windows, mac.
Can I use Temporal for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Temporal best used for?
Temporal is most often used for ai pipeline orchestration and long-running ai workflows, distributed system workflows requiring state durability, complex backend processes with retry requirements, high-volume asynchronous task execution. Of those, ai pipeline orchestration and long-running ai workflows and distributed system workflows requiring state durability are not what Windmill is typically brought in for.
What can Temporal do that Windmill cannot?
Windmill covers Script-to-workflow engine, Auto-generated UIs, Self-hosted deployment, Git sync.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Temporal: What programming languages does Temporal support?

Temporal provides native SDKs for Go, Java, .NET, PHP, Python, Ruby, Rust, and TypeScript.

Source
Windmill: What does Windmill cost?

Windmill's Free and Open-source edition is $0/month for self-hosted use with unlimited executions, while Enterprise starts at $120/month with unlimited workspaces and uncapped SSO seats, priced further by developer/operator seats and compute units.

Source
Temporal: Can I run Temporal on-premises or self-hosted?

Yes. Temporal is available as open-source software under the MIT license, allowing self-hosted deployment. Temporal Cloud is also available as a managed service alternative.

Source
Windmill: Is there a free plan and what are its limits?

The free self-hosted plan supports unlimited executions but caps SSO at 10 users, workspaces at 3, groups/permissions at 4, and email triggers at 100 per day.

Source
Temporal: What is included in the free tier?

$1,000 in free credits for new users to explore Temporal Cloud. Self-hosted Temporal is available free with full platform functionality.

Source
Windmill: How is usage metered on Windmill Enterprise?

Enterprise usage is metered through seats (developer seats at $20/month, operator seats at $10/month) and compute units, e.g. $100/month for 2 standard-worker compute units.

Source
Windmill: What happens to a self-hosted Windmill deployment if the company shuts down?

The pricing page addresses this directly as an FAQ topic, noting that self-hosted applications built on the open-source edition can continue running independently of Windmill the company.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Temporal

More on Windmill

Keep looking

Other head to heads